Missouri Western finally found a way to make the trip to Hays, Kan., seem shorter.

Contrary to the original schedule, the Griffons football team now will travel to Mesa State in Grand Junction, Colo., for the Sept. 5 matchup this season. Western plans to fly into Denver and then take a four-hour bus ride through the mountains to the western edge of the state.

That nonconference contest will precede Western's MIAA opener the following week at Fort Hays - a four-and-a-half hour bus ride in its own right.

"The trip to Fort Hays might seem a little shorter," Partridge said of Western's longest biennial conference jaunt.

Western's original contract with Mesa called for the Mavericks to visit St. Joseph the second week of the season, giving the Griffons seven home games this year. Western then would return the favor next year.

But, Partridge said, Mesa's administration prohibited the Mavericks from leaving the state for nonconference games this season because of budget constraints. That left Western scrambling to fill the date.

"So we delved into the shallow reservoir of possible games. We came up with the idea to flip it," Partridge said.

Under the new agreement, Mesa must pay a penalty to Western of about double what it would cost the Mavericks to come to St. Joseph should they break the contract. The original penalty didn't provide that substantial of a deterrence, Partridge said.

The switch forced Western to find about $25,000 for the trip on relatively short notice.

"We are OK, and there is money to do it. But we need to raise some money on the side to defray that costs," Partridge said.

As it stands now, Western will host Mesa State and Lincoln for its 2010 nonconference schedule.